Acne: How to get rid of Pimples and Spots.

This is going to be a long article, but read it. I promise you it is worth it, and you will not waste your time. Since you’re here I should be technically preaching to the choir, but I know that this is not the first page you’ve landed on when researching how to get rid of spots. You’ve probably seen it all, from “heal acne naturally” to “get rid of pimples fast”, and all types of “get rid of acne” cures. Unfortunately, most of these websites have an incentive to sell you a specific acne product or treatment because they are connected with the company through an affiliate. They get you to buy the product, and they make some money. They don’t actually care about getting rid of pimples and whether you succeed or not. To be clear with you, I am not one of those people. Any product you see me post up in this article to get rid of spots is part of the process I used to get clear skin. Now, at this point you can either call my bluff or you can keep reading. I guarantee the latter will not disappoint you in your quest to get rid of pimples.

To start, researching how to get rid of spots is a pain, I know this firsthand. For years I had gone through every local store trying out every single acne product imaginable, I ordered Proactiv and ClearPores, along with many other systems attempting to get rid of acne. Unfortunately, here is the problem with practically ANY acne product (whether it is over the counter or dermatologist recommended): using a product on your face and back to get rid of pimples is like trying to heal a gunshot wound by covering it with a band-aid. Sure, it might AID you in getting rid of spots, but everything is temporary until you run out of the product (if it actually does something). The point of these products is to make you psychologically reliant on them, with all the acne campaigns circling around you like vultures trying to press you towards believing that getting rid of pimples is impossible without them. Fortunately this is not the case.

Whether you understand acne or not, you probably realize that it is a problem that does not reserve itself to your surface skin. Acne is a full blown problem that starts out inside of your body. If you wish to get rid of pimples, you have to attack it at its core, otherwise the metaphor I used above applies. Have you noticed that all acne product campaigns deal with talking about how amazing the product is at getting rid of “dirt and oil”, implying that is how acne originates? If it was that simple, these products would do the job and make sure acne never comes back. However, find me a person that got rid of pimples using one random store acne wash. It’ll probably be next to impossible. To further this dirt and oil fallacy, why is it that you are told to always change your bedsheets and pillow cases to keep fresh and never touch your face because acne will form, but older people or your peers without acne can roll around in mud and not shower for days and never get a pimple? Simple, because that is not the issue. It is just the core myth of the acne product marketing campaigns. You will not get rid of spots relying on celebrity endorsements and new face washes.

On a related note, you’ve probably seen the other side of the fence. People constantly making endorsements of curing acne naturally and getting rid of spots through diet, herbs, etc. Although they are on the right track, they usually fail miserably because they also push products to you that are not cheap and attempt to be labeled as miracle pills that do magical things inside your body once ingested, getting rid of pimples. If only that was the case…furthermore, many of them attempt to tell you that you need to go on some caveman diet, fix the acids in your stomach, climb Mt. Everest, take 20 different individual vitamins, etc. Basically, things that take way more dedication than is actually necessary. Scrolling past all of this, let’s get straight to it.

How to get rid of spots:

1) Zinc – zinc on its own is the most essential vitamin you need to supplement with if you have acne. It helps control sebum and your hormones, it is priority #1. Many people under dose and don’t get the effects they need to, which is quite disheartening. In order to reap the benefits, take a good version of Zinc that is best digested by your body entitled L-Optizinc. You can find many products out there, I personally use NOW-OptiZinc. It comes with 30mg pills, which you should take twice a day. 1 in the morning, 1 at night. Both after food.

2) Fish Oil – I’m not even going to get into why Fish Oil is beneficial here. You can read up on that in our article: Healthy Benefits of Fish Oil Supplementation. A regular bottle says there is 1gram of Fish Oil per pill, however, we are not concerned with that. We are concerned specifically with Omega-3 content. Usually, a standard pill has 300mg of combined Omega-3s (DHA+EPA). You are aiming for 3grams a day. With food intake, you should be anywhere from 4-5 grams a day total of Omega-3. You have absolutely no idea how much this heals acne and improves your skin tone. It will not only get rid of pimples by reducing their size and redness, but it will get rid of spots like hyper pigmentation to even out skin tone. Like I said, shoot for 3 grams a day. I used to take 1, it did nothing. I upped the dose after reading about it some more, and it has been gold ever since. You should take this even after you deal with acne, this is a life long supplement, get your parents on it too. With a standard bottle, that’ll be 10 pills a day. Split that up how you like (seems like a lot, but it is not – for further evidence, research it up). I use different Fish Oils depending what’s on sale since I buy them in bulk, so I won’t show a specific picture. Nature’s Bounty is good, it has 360mg per pill.

A key note to keep in mind is that 3-5 grams is necessary to fight acne, while 1-2g is necessary to actually reap any Fish Oil benefits in general. Once you start seeing results and rid yourself of acne, you can tone down the Fish Oil dose to anything over 1 gram as maintenance. However, the initial onslaught is essential to fight the inflammation acne causes. Again, if you’re hesitant because it takes so many pills you have to realize that regular Fish Oil caps are heavily under dosed. If you look for a higher EPA content Fish Oil bottle, you can wind up taking 3 a day and fulfill the quota. Naturally, the higher the concentration the pricier it gets. However, you also have to take less pills, so it evens out in the end. The higher concentrations are out there, but that’s up to you (for example, by no means the strongest you can find, but NOW Super EPA has double the regular concentration per pill at 600mg). For the purposes here, we’ll stick with the Nature’s Bounty regular brand.

3) Cut out dairy – dairy affects those with acne differently. Some get it from eating anything dairy, others are only affected when directly drinking milk. Nonetheless, dairy is an extremely aggressive culprit of acne. Many people try cutting out some dairy, see no changes, and say dairy doesn’t affect them. They are wrong. In order to really see benefits, you need to cut dairy out completely through this whole process. Once you’re clear, you can try and see what you can add in (moderately) that won’t break you out. There has to be a complete dairy halt, and then a slow phase in if you’re really craving it.

For milk specifically, if you cannot go on without it, you need to get the organic version. It has to be natural, because the problem with dairy is the excessive amounts of hormones they’ve been pumping into these cows. That’s what makes your system go crazy, and that’s what breaks you out.

For those into fitness, whey shakes are included. They are a dairy derivative (which is how I first discovered my early dairy problem). Mix chocolate flavored with anything dairy and you’re done for…especially chocolate milk. For those who take protein shakes, switch from whey to egg protein. Healthy N’ Fit, Dymatize, and ON all make great Vanilla/Chocolate egg protein, and since it doesn’t have an over-bearing flavor, you can mix it with anything and not even feel it (if you’re not that excited about switching to egg and require great taste with your protein powder). Whey protein from one brand may break you out with acne, and another brand may be fine. You can’t know, so your best bet at least in these early stages is to once again put whey to a halt to clear yourself. I did this and began using egg protein, haven’t changed since. Here’s the ON Egg Protein Brand as an example:

4) Vitamin D3 – since we’re leaving dairy, we need a real miracle pill to keep strong bones. Vitamin D3 also helps with acne, ever notice how you have less of it when you get a tan? Yeah, that’s Vitamin D for you. I’d suggest 5000UI a day, which is what I use. Most people have a Vitamin D3 deficiency and don’t even know it (even if they drink milk), it is that important. I use the Finest Naturals Brand. One pill a day if you get the 5k one.

5) Small diet adjustments – don’t obliterate your mouth with fried foods, pizza, and sugary sweets. That’s about all I need you to do. Everything in moderation. If you want to enjoy pizza, have a slice or two and that’s it. You are a product of what you eat, and if someone tells you that diet does not play a role in acne…well, wait for them to mention how changing your bedsheets and a face wash are priority #1 (the usual). Getting rid of pimples involves not eating the worst foods imaginable 24/7, sorry if that’s all you eat.

Now, that is basically the outline on how to get rid of spots without wasting your time and money in the process. All these products are cheap, and available everywhere online or in your local store. However, there is one important component you have to make sure you complete: Give this regimen at least a month to get rid of pimples. I know that’s not what you’d like to hear, as you’re infuriated already and desperate for a quick fix to acne. It’s not possible, believe me. The sooner you settle down and get to this the quicker the results will come. As with anything else, seeing results from the inside of your body on the surface of your skin takes weeks…but it is worth it, I promise. To not destroy your hopes for a quick fix completely, you should see results within a week’s time. However, for ultimate perfection it is going to take some weeks…and no, there is no initial outbreak. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in 80% of these surface products that are supposed to help you by doing a few face washes or ingesting a few magical pills. Please…

Be patient, and you will get rid of pimples. I’m certain of it. You don’t even have to do much. A few months in, I bet you won’t even use a face wash that’s acne related…and you won’t worry about washing your face 20 times because it is extra dry or oily. Once you heal yourself on the inside, the outside won’t be affected. That’s the truth most don’t want you to know because they are pushing a certain product. Stop wasting your money, and dealing with spots. And no, the acne.org regimen is certainly not necessary as it does the same thing as every other one. It might give some results, but it will not heal everything. All surface products are band-aids, which we all know don’t solve the problem if it dwells deep inside us.

For an extra boost, I’m going to show you two optional things you can do to speed the process to recovery:

1) Drink green tea – rich in anti-oxidants and helps control those hormones responsible for everything. I went from never drinking it to having it as a staple every day, just make a jug of it and sip on it throughout the day all the time. You can also get green tea pills, for an even easier method. EGCG extract is the key ingredient from green tea, but do your own research on this if you’re not convinced.

I know you’re still going to use a face wash no matter what, let’s be real here the marketing campaigns certainly work. Considering that, out of everything I’ve ever used this is hands down the best investment. Gentle, since it’s 1% Salicylic Acid, and has green tea extract for those green tea benefits directly on your skin. Worthy investment. Good luck!